Blair  Witch  2

Whether you love or loathe it, there is no denying that The Blair Witch Project is one of the most fascinating movie phenomena from the past 2 decades. From its bold, innovative structure to the quite brilliant marketing behind it all, Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick created an intensely original, unique monster. In doing so, they flaunted all known movie convention, risking much detraction and hatred, both of which they predictably received in spades. Never before has a movie split audiences so strictly in two. Those who love it, as I do, love it with a passion, stating the basic reasons mentioned above. However, those on the other end of the spectrum, hate, loathe and detest it with an equal passion. I’ve talked to numerous people in this latter group and they all, without fail react violently, their faces scrunching up in disgust, their lips twisting around vile, hateful words. Upon hearing of a planned sequel, I set my hopes ridiculously high. With the central, fascinating myth in place, there was so much potential for continuation and elaboration, endless fertile ground available for exploration. It became my “most-eagerly-awaited sequel,” over-taking the Star Wars and Matrix follow-ups. I avoided all reviews, approaching Book of Shadows with an open and optimistic mind. Never have I been so unrelentingly let down. Blair Witch 2 opens brilliantly, revelling in the kind of post-modernism Wes Craven could only dream of. In this world, The Blair Witch Project has become a massive world-wide success, invoking much fan hysteria: is the myth true? the Witch real? Were Heather and co. really victims to her wrath? MTV and various movie shows all proclaim the movie as “the most terrifying experience you’ll ever have in a cinema.” Sound familiar? Director Joe Berlinger opens the movie perfectly, keeping in step with the established reality-based tone. A promising Last Broadcast-type story unfolds with a group of students going in search of the Blair Witch, hoping to prove/disprove the myth but suddenly everything goes downhill at quite a remarkable pace. Jeff Patterson is a Blair Witch fanatic, selling an assortment of rather shameless merchandise from his Burkittsville home. He organises a tour through the Black Hills, retracing Heather, Josh and Mike’s last days hiking through the woods, culminating in some spooky campfire tales around the ruins of Rustin Parr’s house. This opportunity entices several interested parties. Tristan and Stephen are a young couple, expecting their first child. They are fascinated by the Blair Witch myth and want to write a book proving or debunking the whole horrific story. Erica is a witch herself, a Wiccan, disgusted by the way the movie portrayed her culture and Kim is just a misunderstood goth chick who “thought the movie was cool.” They set up camp, drink, “party” and wind up falling asleep. Upon waking, they find things have changed in some rather unsettling ways. Jeff’s videotapes reveal the truth behind their lost hours. When the group returns to town, decamping in an old warehouse, tedium (for the audience), rather than terror settles in. In an effort to emulate the original’s structure, the central mystery is left under-developed and agonisingly vague. While this worked before, given BWP’s camcorder, real-life approach, it merely stinks of contrived convenience here. Berlinger uses the tired old horror standby, merging illusions with reality to the point where the developments grow more and more meaningless. The sudden ending supplies a supremely irritating “shock” twist that really doesn’t make much sense when all is said and done. It may be hard for all you Heather-haters out there to believe but the characters involved in this sequel are considerably more annoying than the all-mighty snot-nosed one. They are a troupe of severely bland, whiny people who fully deserve to be trapped in this pathetic excuse for a movie. As with Heather and co., the cast share their names with their characters, involving for some unknown reason slight variations when it comes to surnames. Erica Leehrson plays Erica Geerson, Tristan Skylar plays Tristan Ryler … you get the idea. At the end of the day, Book of Shadows is a confused, messy, pointless affair. Don’t go in expecting to be scared, at all. After a good atmosphere is set up in the warehouse, opportunities for a claustrophobic scare-fest are passed up time and again, with one too many hokey jump scares and some laughably ominous revelations. As promised, the movie doesn’t skimp on the gore or ghosts, the former of which is bloody and very nasty. These scenes lend themselves to the Blair Witch history quite nicely but as with everything else here, the idea behind them is really only glimpsed upon. Despite my obvious disappointment with part 2, I still have hopes for Blair Witch 3, dealing, as it will with the foundations of the very myth itself. Had Book of Shadows concentrated more thoroughly on those grounds, rather than this irrelevant, throwaway story, it could have been a very worthwhile film indeed.